PETALING JAYA: Idris Jala has many feathers in his cap: he is a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and the first Orang Ulu to become a federal minister. In 2014, Bloomberg listed him as among the 10 most influential policymakers in the world.
In the corporate world, he is renowned for his ability to turn companies around. But it was a missed opportunity to study law in New Zealand that led him to achieve these great feats.
He shared his story with FMT Lifestyle recently.
Idris grew up in a remote village in Bario, Sarawak, but it wasn’t until he was in Form 4 that he realised he was considered “poor” by other people’s standards.
“I never felt poor because nobody else had more than us. In the village, nobody had a television. Not everyone had a car. So, if you don’t have one, you don’t feel deprived,” said the 66-year-old.
Bario is home to the Kelabit people, Idris’s tribe. He said there are three things that define the Kelabit: community, Christianity and culture.
“In a longhouse, you share everything. In the olden days, there was no word for ‘thank you’. It’s simply because you’re meant to share everything. You’re supposed to give it to somebody, and it was a duty to give it.”
In the early 1970s, a spiritual revival took place in their community. As a result, Idris shared, couples in troubled marriages reconciled, and arguments and land disputes were amicably resolved. Idris even trekked through the jungle for four days to preach in another village.
His people, he said, also have a rich culture of storytelling. “My dad, for example, could recite a story with rhyme and rhythm. Every line was like poetry. That’s an oral tradition and the art is really quite incredible,” he said, adding that sadly, this culture is fading.
He also spoke of the first time he wanted to see the world outside of his immediate community.
It was during the Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation when British soldiers were stationed in Bario. And sometimes, these soldiers, together with the people, watched movies in an open field.
“I remember distinctly seeing a movie of Elvis Presley singing. Two things came to mind. There was a world beyond the mountains. The world that I was living in Bario was almost an entrapment.
“The passport to see the world is to pass your exams.”
So he applied for a scholarship to study law in New Zealand. The postal address he gave was his aunt’s home in Miri. But when the letter of acceptance arrived, she was overseas, and Idris got the letter late, missing the deadline to accept.
So, he went to Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang instead, studying development studies and management.
“In a sense, it was providence. I would say divine intervention. Because if I didn’t go there, I wouldn’t have met my wife.” Today, the couple have two sons and two grandchildren.
His USM degree also proved instrumental in his corporate life.
With his knowledge of business, he was able to transform Shell Middle Distillates Synthesis, making it the first company in the world to produce diesel and kerosene from natural gas instead of crude oil. The company later became the official supplier of green diesel for the Athens Olympics 2004.
As chief executive officer of Malaysia Airlines in 2005, he saved the national carrier from long-term losses.
Today, he is the chairman and president of Pemandu Associates, chairman of Heineken Malaysia Berhad and non-executive co-chairman of the Sunway Group. Currently on sabbatical leave, his son, Leon Jala, serves as the interim chairman of Pemandu Associates.
But Idris’s interests go beyond transforming businesses.
He has a deep love for music and guitars. During the pandemic, he even learnt how to make his own, adding to the 50 guitars he already owns.
This is not a surprise to those close to him: in his younger days, he played rock and blues in a band, and even sported long hair!
These days, he teams with Leon on a podcast, “The Game of Impossible,” discussing topics from leadership to transformation.
“I’ve had some of my best moments with Leon since he became a father. I learnt a lot listening to him because he puts his own spin on my sharing.”
Clearly, Idris didn’t only travel to the world beyond the mountains – he made his mark in it.
To the younger generation, he shares the advice his father once gave him: “There is a Kelabit word called ‘ketuit.’ It means a burning desire to win, that you’re going to take extreme measures.
“My father’s advice to young kids is: ‘Find out who is currently number one in class. Be his or her best friend. Find out what he or she does but do it to the power of 10’. Extreme measures.”
Follow ‘The Game of Impossible’ podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Instagram and TikTok.
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